This invention relates to an apparatus for conveying cells to a plurality of chambers provided in a chamber plate.
Recently, a type of cell fusion system has become established in which cells of different sorts are conveyed one by one to each of the chambers of a chamber plate before cell fusion of these cells is undertaken.
In conventional cell manipulating apparatuses (see, for example, Japanese patent laid-open No. 62-32874), cells are conveyed through a channel having openings. Each opening is successively positioned above each chamber so that cells can be individually injected into it. A similar apparatus is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 122269 "Chamber plate for use in cell fusion and a process for production thereof" filed on Nov. 18, 1987.
Since in cell manipulating apparatuses having the above-described construction it is necessary to position the opening successively above each of the chambers, when there are a great number of chambers in the chamber plate, it takes a lot of time to furnish all the chambers with cells. This is particularly disadvantageous in the case of protoplasts whose cell walls have been removed by means of an enzyme since they lose their activity in a short time. When protoplasts are conveyed to a large number of chambers, those protoplasts which are conveyed during the earlier stage of the conveying operation will lose their activity before the conveying operation has been completed. Consequently, the number of protoplasts that can undergo cell fusion at a time has been limited.